What color is #2B281A?

#2B281A is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(43, 40, 26), and in HSL hsl(49, 25%, 14%).

Is #2B281A accessible as text?

On white, #2B281A has a contrast ratio of 14.78:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.42:1 (fails). For text placed on #2B281A, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #2B281A?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-800 (#292524).

What colors go well with #2B281A?

As a neutral, #2B281A pairs cleanly with white, off-white and light grays for text, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a dark surface or high-contrast base and let the accent carry the color.

Is #2B281A the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #2B281A is not the CSS named color darkslategray, but darkslategray (#2F4F4F) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#2B281A Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #2B281A

Not just a swatch — here's how #2B281A works with other colors. Named schemes with #2B281A in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #2B281A Secondary #546A35 Accent #B2680E Surface #F0E9D6 Anchor #3D2E21

Bistre leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #2B281A Secondary #784C20 Surface #E7DAC0 Accent #3F503D Anchor #5B2227

Bistre plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #2B281A Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B8AF9F Ink #2B2723

Bistre sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #2B281A Anchor #141210 Accent #C7A34B Secondary #2B291E Surface #F2EDE3

Bistre carries the depth in this luxury scheme, offset by a brass accent and near-black and held together by a deep neutral and an off-white surface.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #2B281A Secondary #4D4C47 Support #999186 Ink #17140F

Bistre is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Bistre carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #2B281A actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 55/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 30/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 68/100

High

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 34/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 36/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 69/100

High

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 9/100

Very low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 19/100

Very low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 60/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 96/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #2B281A

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #2B281A with

Espresso Bistre Graphite Greige Army Green

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AAA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 14.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DBD8CB for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2A2D1B — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #2B281A at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #2B281A;
  --color-base-rgb: 43 40 26;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(27.6% 0.025 97.5);
  --color-50: #F9F9F5;
  --color-100: #F0EEE5;
  --color-200: #E0DDCC;
  --color-300: #C8C2A7;
  --color-400: #AEA684;
  --color-500: #908864;
  --color-600: #706B51;
  --color-700: #514E3D;
  --color-800: #36342A;
  --color-900: #22211B;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  bistre: {
    50: '#F9F9F5',
    100: '#F0EEE5',
    200: '#E0DDCC',
    300: '#C8C2A7',
    400: '#AEA684',
    500: '#908864',
    600: '#706B51',
    700: '#514E3D',
    800: '#36342A',
    900: '#22211B',
  },
}

$base: #2B281A;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F9F5;
$base-100: #F0EEE5;
$base-200: #E0DDCC;
$base-300: #C8C2A7;
$base-400: #AEA684;
$base-500: #908864;
$base-600: #706B51;
$base-700: #514E3D;
$base-800: #36342A;
$base-900: #22211B;
$base-hover: #242115;
$base-subtle: #CAC5B1;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#2B281A",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F9F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F0EEE5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E0DDCC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C8C2A7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#AEA684",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#908864",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#706B51",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#514E3D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#36342A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#22211B",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}